Report on health worker migration and mobility in Germany

21/09/2022

Germany’s health workforce policy and cross-border recruitment of health workers have a significant influence on its surrounding countries. At the same time, the country struggles with a ruined nursing profession with deplorable working conditions and an ever-growing demand for the import of health workforce – particularly nurses – from abroad. In a new report for our partnership Pillars of Health, we therefore provide recommendations to the German government, German civil society and the European Union, for a more sustainable answer to the German care crisis.

The systemic brain drain of health workforce towards Germany is a European and a global health scandal: Germany’s foreign health workforce targeted recruitment activities hold a significant risk for source countries (especially for smallest states). As a result, the source countries’ populations are left behind with insufficient health workers needed to meet their health care needs, during crises and beyond.

Our report describes the German health labour market, the German recruitment practices of foreign health workers and their migration patterns, as well as initiatives relevant for health workforce migration. Based on our findings, we think certain measures can provide a more sustainable answer to the German care crisis than the recruitment of health workers from abroad, and to mitigate the risks the current situation holds for the health systems of the source countries. Among our recommendations are:

German civil society should establish a permanent focal point with the task of advocating against the brain drain of health personnel.

The German government should adapt the legal framework of the self-governed German health system to better defend the interests of the nurses.

The attractiveness of the nursing profession in Germany needs to be further improved.

The German government needs to adapt the essential elements of the WHO Code of Practice and incorporate these into its national legislation.

The European Union should grant the authority needed to regulate and intervene in activities of cross-border recruitment to the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety or another appropriate Directorate.

Read our Pillars of Health report on health worker migration and mobility in Germany. The report was written by an independent consultant Heino Güldemann, MPH.

Visit the website of Pillars of Health: www.pillars-of-health.eu.

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